Feminist Theory and Criticism
Code: 105801 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2503878 Sociocultural Gender Studies | OB | 1 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Jessica Faciaben Lago
- Email:
- jessica.faciaben@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- spanish (spa)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Prerequisites
The student must be able to express himself correctly, both orally and in writing. For this reason, the possible spelling and expression mistakes that the student could make will entail a score reduction in the final grade. The activities, practices and works presented throughout the course must be original and under no circumstances the total or partial plagiarism of other’s people materials published in any format will be accepted. The eventual presentation of non-original material without properly indicating its original source will automatically receive a falling grade (0). Additionally, it is considered that the student knows the general guidelines for presenting an academic work. However, when necessary, the student may apply the specific guidelines indicated by the professor.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The purpose of this course is to draw up the areas of reflection, as well as the inflections and transformations that feminist theories and practices have made in the field of history, epistemology, and philosophical and scientific thinking.
The student:
1. must know how feminist theory and criticism have contributed to the paradigm shift in literary studies in the mid-twentieth century;
2. must know what have been the main approaches of Western feminist theory and criticism;
3. must know how to trace the dialogues between society and the proposals of feminist theory and criticism;
4. must apply methods of feminist literary theory and criticism in the analysis of literary texts;
5. must know what are the latest trends in feminist theory and its impact on culture in general and literary studies in particular.
Competences
- Express correctly and in a non-sexist or homophobic manner both orally and in writing.
- Formulate, argue and discuss your own and others' ideas in a respectful, critical and reasoned way.
- Identify and question gender representations in the history of ideas, arts and culture, as well as in the construction of scientific knowledge.
- Interpreting and interrelating the conceptual bases of feminist theories.
- Interpret gender inequalities in relation to sexuality, class, ethnicity and territory based on the concepts and approaches of sociocultural analysis.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze the representations of the body in cultural and artistic productions throughout history.
- Contrast the debates on feminism and masculinities.
- Critically analyze informative speeches especially in relation to ideology and ethnocentric and sexist biases.
- Describe the fundamental concepts of gender theory.
- Make an inclusive use of language.
- Prepare an organized and correct speech, orally and in writing, in the corresponding language.
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Use the specific technical vocabulary and own interpretation of the required disciplines.
Content
1. Grounds for a feminist theory and criticism and its role in the paradigm shift of literary studies. Writing as a (woman), reading as (a) feminist. What does one's own literature mean?
2. Cartography of Western feminist genealogies: Equality feminism and difference feminism; essentialist and constructivist feminisms. Typologies, waves and inflections.
3. The woman category: is the body an evidence? Attempts and failures in seeking a definition. Consequences.
4. The difference within the difference: intersectionalities and tangles. (A) Ethnic resistance and / or the challenge of decolonizing feminist thinking; (B) lesbian resistance and / or disarticulating compulsive and compulsory heterosexuality.
5. Feminisms in the current context: challenges and achievements. Relations between feminism, ciberfeminism, queer / cuir studies and crip /disability studies.
Methodology
Learning of this course is distributed as follows:
- Directed activities (35%). Master classes with ICT support and debate in a large group.
- Supervised activities (20%). Individual presentations. Review or papers (individual or in group) will be carried out based on a guideline. Tutorships.
- Autonomous activities (40%). Comprehensive and critical reading of literary and theoretical texts. Making outlines, conceptual maps and summaries.
**The teaching methodology and the evaluation proposed in the guide may undergo some modification subject to the onsite teaching restrictions imposed by health authorities.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Master classes with ICT support and debate in a large group. | 50 | 2 | 3, 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 9, 8, 10 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Individual presentations. Review or course work (individual or in group) will be carried out based on a guideline. Tutorships. | 40 | 1.6 | 3, 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 9, 7, 8, 10 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Comprehensive and critical reading of literary and theoretical texts. Making outlines, conceptual maps and summaries. | 60 | 2.4 | 3, 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 9, 8, 10 |
Assessment
The student:
a) must mandatorily undertake throughout the course one classroom reading: he/she must prepare an outline, as well as an oral presentation (the time available is between 20 and 30 minutes) and must lead the subsequent discussion. This work will be done as a group, and represent 40% of the final grade.
b) At the end of some topic —according to the schedule set by the professor— and students must individually submit a critical review referring, completing, developing or stressing one or more of the issues emerged in the readings or in the discussions raised in the classroom. A total of 2 reviews must be submitted and will worth 25% of the final grade. Students who do not comply with the designated schedule must take a final exam.
c) At the end of course, the student must individually submit a written work (30%).
d) The remaining 5% will be given based on attendance and participation in the classroom, as well as on the involvement in the subject.
Any student who wishes to receive "Non presented" must not submit any written work and do not perform any of the activities. Turning in a paper or participating in an exposé will automatically result in "presented".
Procedure for the review of final grades
At the time of carrying out each evaluation activity, the professor will inform the students of the procedure and date for the review of final grades.
Make-up evaluation
Only students with a final grade of 3,9 or higher will qualify for a make-up exam.
Evaluation activities excluded from the make-up evaluation
The following activities cannot be re-evaluated: preliminary oral presentation outline andoral presentation.
In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (the original weighing will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Instructors will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities, the student will receive a zero as the final grade for the class.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSISTANCE, ATTITUDE AND PARTICIPATION IN THE CLASSROOM | 5% | 0 | 0 | 3, 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 9, 7, 8, 10 |
| CRITICAL REVIEWS | 25% | 0 | 0 | 3, 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 9, 10 |
| FINAL WRITTEN WORK | 30% | 0 | 0 | 3, 4, 6, 5, 9, 7, 8, 10 |
| ORAL PRESENTATION | 40% | 0 | 0 | 3, 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 9, 10 |
Bibliography
Specific bibliography will be given for each subject of the course.
General Bibliography:
Anzaldúa, Gloria (1999 1987). The Borderlands/La frontera: The New Mestiza. San Francisco: Aun Lute Books.
bell hooks (2000). El feminismo es para todo el mundo. Madrid: Traficantes de sueños.
Cixous, Hèléne (1995). La risa de la Medusa. Ensayos sobre la escritura. Trad. de Myriam Díaz-Diocaretz. Barcelona: Anthropos.
De Beauvoir, Simone (2002). El segundo sexo. Los hechos y los mitos. Trad. de Alicia Martorell. Madrid: Ediciones Cátedra. España, Universidad de Valencia, Instituto de la Mujer.
Firestone, Shulamith (1976 1973). La dialéctica del sexo. En defensa de la revolución feminista. Trad. de Ramón Ribé Queralt.Barcelona: Editorial Kairós.
Friedan, Betty (2009 1963). La mística de la feminidad. Trad. de Magalí Martínez Solimán. Madrid: Ediciones Cátedra.
Halberstam, J. (2004) «La mirada transgenérica». Trad. de Meri Torras. Lectora: Revista de dones i textualitat, núm. 10.
Irigaray, Luce (1995). La diferencia sexual como fundamento de la democracia. Trad. de Esther Hachuel Fernández. Duoda, Revista d’Estudis Feministes, núm. 8.
Lorde, Audre (2005 1984). La hermana, la extranjera. Trad. de María Corniero Madrid: horas y Horas la editorial.
Lugones, María (1999 1994). «Pureza, impureza y separación». Trad. de Marta Marín Domine. Neus Carbonell y Meri Torras (eds.), Feminismos literarios, Madrid: Arco Libros
Millett, Kate (1995). Política sexual. Trad. de Ana María Bravo García. Madrid: Ediciones Cátedra. Disponible online en: https://www.academia.edu/35955847/Kate_Millet_Politica_sexual
Moraga, Cherríe (1998). Esta puente, mi espalda. Voces de mujeres tercermundistas en los Estados. San Francisco: Ism Press.
VV. AA (2013). Resentir lo queer en América Latina. Diálogos desde/con el sur. Barcelona: Egales.
Wittig, Monique (2021 1973). El cuerpo lesbiano. Trad. de Nuria Pérez de Lara. Valencia: Pre-Textos.
Woolf, Virginia (2001 1929). Un cuarto propio. Trad. de Laura Pujol. Barcelona: Seix Barral.
Zafra, Remedios y López-Pellisa, Teresa (eds.) (2010). Ciberfeminismos. De VNS Matrix a Laboria Cuboniks. Barcelona: Holiobionte Ediciones.
Software
Office.
Microsoft Team's Platform & One Drive.
UAB Moddle/Campus Virtual.